Green living blog + Plastic bags | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/green-living-blog+plasticbags
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Which is the bigger eco-villain: plastic or paper? | Sylvia Rowleyhttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/green-living-blog/2011/jan/07/plastic-eco-villain-paper
Plastic is held up as a symbol of the environmental damage of disposable culture. But does it deserve its bad reputation?<p>Disturbing pictures of <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2009/nov/03/albatross-plastic-poison-pacific#/?picture=355118658&amp;index=3" title="dead seabirds">dead seabirds</a> with lighters, bottle caps and plastic bags in their guts are among the images that have contributed to plastic's bad reputation. But <a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-01/osu-op010411.php" title="research">research</a> by Oregan State University published this week suggests that the size of the &quot;great garbage patch&quot;, an accumulation of plastic debris that floats in the Pacific, has been &quot;grossly exaggerated&quot;. Rather than being twice the size of Texas, as is commonly reported, studies suggest the &quot;cohesive&quot; patch is less than 1% of the size of Texas.</p><p>Clearly, plastic does pose a threat to wildlife. But has its status as an environmental villain been exaggerated? Many of the world's most potent environmental threats are invisible, but <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/georgemonbiot/2009/apr/15/plastic-bags-waste" title="plastic loiters in trees and rivers">plastic loiters in trees and rivers</a>as a reminder of the consequences of our consumption. However, in some cases, plastic is environmentally the better option.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/green-living-blog/2011/jan/07/plastic-eco-villain-paper">Continue reading...</a>Plastic bagsWasteEnvironmentPollutionOceansFri, 07 Jan 2011 15:22:55 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/green-living-blog/2011/jan/07/plastic-eco-villain-paperChris JordanAlbatross chicks are fed bellies-full of plastic by their parents who mistake it for food. Photograph: Chris JordanChris JordanAlbatross chicks are fed bellies-full of plastic by their parents who mistake it for food Photograph: Chris JordanSylvia Rowley2011-01-07T15:22:55ZHow big is your bag-for-life mountain?http://www.theguardian.com/environment/green-living-blog/2010/jan/18/bags-for-life-mountain
Bags for life were meant to do away with all those nasty plastic bags. But do we now have too many of them?<p>Here is a brief inventory of my bags for life. I have two vast, sturdy plastic ones from Tesco; one small &shy;hessian one that came free with a certain number of Aveda &shy;shampoos; a cloth one courtesy of the health visitor; one from the Hay festival (now rather grubby); another sent to me by Abel &amp; Cole; at least three homemade ones in 1970s Laura Ashley prints (it is impossible to leave my &shy;parents' house without being given one), and finally, the only bag for life I have ever sought: a sturdy hessian one from my &shy;favourite bakers in Penzance.</p><p>That makes 11, a tally that would look less modest if it took account of the others that have been binned in shame along the way – for being too shabby or for their &shy;moment having somehow passed. This, apparently, is common practice. One colleague has so many reusable plastic bags she has even lined her household bins with them. How did we end up with a bag-for-life mountain?</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/green-living-blog/2010/jan/18/bags-for-life-mountain">Continue reading...</a>Ethical and green livingEnvironmentPlastic bagsRecyclingPollutionGreenhouse gas emissionsWasteMon, 18 Jan 2010 00:05:18 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/green-living-blog/2010/jan/18/bags-for-life-mountainPublic DomainJust some of the bags for life that are now cluttering up our homes.Public DomainJust some of the bags for life that are now cluttering up our homes.Paula Cocozza2010-01-18T00:05:18ZShould we care about the UK's place in plastic bag league tables?http://www.theguardian.com/environment/ethicallivingblog/2009/jul/09/plasticbags-waste-map
Countries around the world have acted to cut plastic bag waste, but not the UK<p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2009/jul/06/plastic-carrier-bags">Britain lags behind the rest of the world on plastic bag bans and taxes</a>, claimed the man who manufactured <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/mar/19/ethicalliving.uknews">I Am Not a Plastic Bag</a> this week. To see exactly how the UK compares with other countries, click on the graphic above.</p><p>So should we really care about languishing in this particular green league table? When the UK government launched its <a href="http://getabaghabit.direct.gov.uk/index.html">'Get a bag habit' campaign</a> earlier this year, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/georgemonbiot/2009/apr/07/plastic-bag-waste-carbon-emissions">George Monbiot argued</a> that plastic bags shouldn't be a high priority environmental issue, because they account for a small proportion of the country's total waste (3.2%) and just 5kg of each individual's annual 12,500kg carbon footprint.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/ethicallivingblog/2009/jul/09/plasticbags-waste-map">Continue reading...</a>Plastic bagsEnvironmentWasteGreenhouse gas emissionsEthical and green livingFri, 10 Jul 2009 09:34:53 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/ethicallivingblog/2009/jul/09/plasticbags-waste-mapMartin Godwin/GuardianPlastic bagsAdam Vaughan2009-07-10T09:34:53ZOne woman's experience of giving up plastic for Lenthttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/ethicallivingblog/2009/apr/16/plastic-free-lent
Anne Watson took on a challenge for Lent this year and gave up plastic. She shared her experiences on Twitter and here looks back on what she found<p></p><p>For six weeks over Lent I stopped buying anything plastic. It's not a traditional sacrifice like chocolate or red wine but there's a <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/apr/12/david-de-rothschild-plastiki-pacific" title="">flotilla of non-biodegradable plastic rubbish in the Pacific three times the size of Britain</a> and I wanted to stop adding to it. I also wanted to know if it was actually possible to live without the stuff. I looked around my flat and the truth dawned that everything in it had come <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/gallery/2009/apr/14/beach-rubbish-andy-hughes-photography?picture=345942126" title="">wrapped, packed or capped in plastic</a>.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/ethicallivingblog/2009/apr/16/plastic-free-lent">Continue reading...</a>Ethical and green livingPlastic bagsWastePollutionRecyclingEnvironmentThu, 16 Apr 2009 10:40:44 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/ethicallivingblog/2009/apr/16/plastic-free-lentLinda Nylind/GuardianFood packaging accounts for most of our plastic waste. Photograph: Linda NylindLinda Nylind/GuardianSupermarkets eff orts to fi nd new compostable plastics bring environmental problems. Photograph: Linda NylindAnne Watson2009-04-16T10:40:44ZTread lightly: Re-use plastic bagshttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/ethicallivingblog/2008/feb/01/reuseplasticbags
<strong>Sign up for this week's pledge <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/treadlightly/pledge/281">here</a></strong><p>Plastic bags have become a hot topic - this week <a href="http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/ethicalliving/2008/01/why_retailers_wont_back_a_ban.html">retailers announced</a> that they would petition parliament to stop a <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/nov/13/plasticbags.pollution1">bill by London councils</a> to prevent shops from handing out disposable bags - plastic, paper or otherwise.</p><p>One campaign to tackle our waste made many news pages last year when BBC camerawoman <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/nov/23/plasticbags.recycling">Rebecca Hosking</a> was so moved after seeing the effects of plastic waste on wildlife while filming in the Pacific that she launched a successful campaign to ban the bag in her home town of Modbury, in Devon. Many more villages and towns have since joined the campaign.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/environment/ethicallivingblog/2008/feb/01/reuseplasticbags">Continue reading...</a>Plastic bagsWasteEnvironmentEthical and green livingCarbon footprintsRecyclingGreenhouse gas emissionsFri, 01 Feb 2008 15:51:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/environment/ethicallivingblog/2008/feb/01/reuseplasticbagsJessica Aldred2008-02-01T15:51:00Z